Motivation plays an significant role in most learning contexts. During the past decade, much research has been done on the use of authentic activities, tasks, and learning environments (Herrington et al., 2004).  Some researchers have maintained that a complex and sustained activity can motivate students to learn (Herrington et al., 2004). Other researchers have concluded that "motivating and emotionally involving contingencies" (Sternberg et al., 1993) are important characteristics of the practical problems that are used in authentic activities. Given these conclusions, it then seems logical to ask: how does an authentic learning environment motivate students to learn?

Recent research has shown divergent effects of authentic online learning environment on student motivation. A study shows that students demonstrate different patterns of engagement in authentic learning tasks (Herrington & Reeves, 2003). Another study, although not necessarily focused on authentic tasks, is very illuminating for future research as it reveals students' diverse emotional and motivational experiences during computer-supported collaborative learning projects (Jarvenoja & Jarvela, 2005).  Overall, research on motivation issues related to authentic online learning environments is lacking. My research interest is to understand more about if and how authentic online learning may motivate some students, but perhaps discourage others. Ultimately, I wish to find out how the needs of various student groups can be better met. I would like to explore the following questions in an effort to pursue my major research interest.

Research questions:

1. What are the characteristics of the students who find an authentic learning environment motivational or discouraging?
2. What factors of the authentic environment sustain student motivation to engage in learning?
3. What designing principles help better meet different students’ needs in authentic online learning activities?

Herrington, J., Oliver, R., & Reeves, T. C. (2003). Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments. Australian Journal of Educational Technology 19(1), 59-71.

Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., Oliver, R., & Woo, Y. (2004). Designing authentic activities in web-based courses. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 16 (1), 3-29.

Jarvenoja, H., & Jarvela, S. (2005). How students describe the sources of their emotional and motivational experiences during the learning process: A qualitative approach. Learning and Instruction, 15, 465-480.